DIRTY SOAP REVELATION: Kirsten Storms is Sick, Illness is Called "Endometriosis" (Recasting as Maxie on GENERAL HOSPITAL Explained)

On Sunday night's DIRTY SOAP, it was revealed that Kirsten Storms has endometriosis. She was temporarily recast as Maxie on GENERAL HOSPITAL but there has been mystery about the illness that caused that change to occur.

There is no known cure for this but there are treatments which can help relieve the symptoms and improve the quality of life. See below for more details on this condition from endometriosis.org. Feel better, Kirsten!

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (the endometrial stroma and glands, which should only be located inside the uterus) is found elsewhere in the body.

It is generally acknowledged that an estimated 10% of all women during their reproductive years (from the onset of menstruation to menopause) are affected by endometriosis. This equates to 176 million women throughout the world, who have to deal with the symptoms of endometriosis during the prime years of their lives.

The most common symptom of endometriosis is pelvic pain.

The pain often correlates to the menstrual cycle, but a woman with endometriosis may also experience pain that doesn’t correlate to her cycle – this is what makes this disease/condition so unpredictable and frustrating.

For many women, the pain of endometriosis is so severe and debilitating that it impacts their lives in significant ways.

Endometriosis can also cause scar tissue and adhesions to develop that can distort a woman’s internal anatomy. In advanced stages, internal organs may fuse together, causing a condition known as a “frozen pelvis.” This is not common, but it does happen.

It is estimated that 30-40% of women with endometriosis may not be able to have children (if you suspect you suffer from infertility, please see our section on endometriosis and infertility).

58 comments:

I feel so bad for Kirsten. I know several people with this condition. One of them had 3 children, and another one had to have a hysterectomy at 24. Just goes to show the variation in how it can affect a woman. Maybe all the people on various sites who were sure she had a drug or alcohol problem ahould tsake this as a lesson. Stars deserve their privacy. I do find it a bit peculiar and coincidental that the illness was identified on the reality show. Almost like a big reveal.

Kirsten you are in my prayers.My Mom had severe endo prior to my birth. She was told if she wanted another she would have to get very soon. She did not but knew when I was a teen that I was having symptoms. I gave birth to a wonderful son in 1975, but treatment has come along way. I WILL PUT U ON A PRAYER TREE.

Kirsten - Know that your fans love and will be supporting you. The main thing is for you to take care of yourself. We will do all that we can to help. You have our prayers and our support.....Hang in there WE LOVE YOU!

I feel so bad for Kirsten, I also suffer from Endometriosis. I had a full hysterectomy 3 years ago at the age of 29 and I still had pain and issues from my endo. It is a terrible disease I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy. My thoughts and prayers are with Kirsten.

I have been watching you since you were on Days loved you then as cute & adorable Belle, still love you all these years later as Crazy, funny & entertaining Maxie.Wishing you all the best - you are in my prayers. May God Bless you. Let your friends be there for you when you need them. Take Care!

Iwish you the best, and hopefully this will get better so you can get back on General Hospital. Have always loved you an hoping for a speedy recovery. Also I hope you and Faith can somehow find your way back to each other. After all you shared alot when you were younger, and those memories don't go away.

Kirsten I wish you a speedy recovery. I truly enjoy watching you on GH as Maxie you are so funny but can also be insightful. I will pray for you, please know that everything happens for a reason and maybe this is the time for you to take a break and take care of yourself and spend some quality time with your family. Please know that you will be missed on GH and no one can replace you.

So I know we all have our opinions about what is going on, and I'm sorry to say I was very disturbed when I read the rude comment someone wrote about her going to rehab. First off, if that is true-that is her business and since her life is mostly an open book, let this one be a secret. however, secondly, I believe she is hurting and has this issue. I can only imagine how scared she is and how much pain she is in. I have done some research tonight about it and it worries me. I am glad there is treatment, even if there is no actual known cure as of yet. I am praying for her that she will be able to have beautiful crazy amazing children just like her. I have watched her grow up since Zenon (which I LOVE and still watch when it comes on), unfortunately I missed her on days as I don't watch that soap all that much, but since her coming on GH, I have watched her grow more into such a beautiful woman with so much spirit in her. GH is one of my favorite shows and no offense to the new girl, I do NOT like that Maxie has been recast. There isn't anyone in the world who fits Maxie's part like Maxie and though the other girl can act, she plays a horrible Maxie. I hope you feel better soon xoxoxo I'm praying for you!!!

I have to agree with the other person whom defended Kirsten. You are not in her shoes and should not respond with accusations about rehab. People should not judge other people. Try to think how you would feel if it were you and people made up "stories" and believed them. Kirsten, I sure wish you a speedy recovery with whatever is happening in your life. Take time for yourself and feel better. Please know you are VERY much missed on GH. God Bless you.

Kirsten- your not alone in your recovery. You are very much missed & loved by your fans. It's not easy having your life on display for all to judge. So stay strong & I wish you a quick recovery. You've worked so hard with your career you deserve a break. its very normal to take a break to heal our bodies, hearts & friend ships. I wish you good health & happiness. Your a beautiful woman, God Bless.A word for "ananoumous" who think's she's in rehab? No your just a hater. Whatever her illness we need to respect her and be here for her to wish her well and let her know she is loved and missed. Sounds like an old friend on tonights episode who showed concern for her illness is again jeolus. RUDE

I am deeply saddened to hear of your condition. I have been a fan of yours since your Disney Channel movie days and I was hoping you were gone because you were filming a movie! I will be thinking of you and praying for you every day. I love you and miss you very much. By the way...what in tarnation does "ZETUS LAPITUS" mean??? ;)

Kristen stay strong . may of us deal with medical issues and push each day to function and have a productive life. I live with MS and take one day at a time . I have good and bad days.You are strong and can fight this ! Never give up.!!!!!!!!! G-d bless you.

I have gone threw this. It can be very painful. I myself had to have a complete hysterectomy when I was 34 after having 3 surgeries, to try any remove the problem. Get well soon because I can't stand your replacement.

I had endometriosis as well, along with PCOS. My husband and I were trying to get pregnant when we found this out. My father has a vitamin/health food store. He told me to change my diet, and try a product called BeeFertile. I used it for three months and found out I was pregnant. When I went to the doctor, he said my endometriosis was healed, and my cysts had shrunk to almost nothing. It will not work that way for everyone, but it truly did for me. I know that I was blessed. But, it is worth a try. If you are interested, I think that they only offer it online at www.befertile.com. I am sorry to hear about this. Best wishes.

When I saw Kirsten walking around, slightly hunched, somewhat zombie-like and clutching a heating pad my first thought was that she has endometriosis. I was not at ALL surprised when Tiffany said that is what she has. I have it and before I diagnosed I acted almost the exact same way. Stay strong Kirsten, after treatment I feel better than I have in years. Shame on the person that questioned whether she has it or not.

Kirsten,I also had this & I agree it is terribly painful! I had to have a complete hysterectomy when I was 29 after having 3 previous surgeries to try and get rid of this. Please hurry & get well soon because I too can't stand your replacement. GH needs the real Maxie & that can only be you Kirsten!! Hope you are pain free soon! P.S. All of you are great on Dirty Soap...love the nightime soap!

Have to say, I'm a Days fan but I remember your character Belle well. Was actually going to check out GH because of Dirty Soap but I'll hold off till your back in action. I know how badly endo can affect your life but I also know survivors survive. I don't know you but from what I've gleened from DS you've learned the art of surviving. You'll catch your breath and find your feet and when you do, you'll come back stronger than you were before.

And don't sweat the Farah thing. I like that girl, she's blunt but blind. One day she will figure out that her so-called "friends" are leading her around by the nose.

(Farah FYI - When you have people constantly reminding you of WHY you aren't friends with someone and encouraging you to bad mouth people and act like an a$$ - they generaly AREN'T your friends)

Hope you feel better very soon! All the negative comments are from people that don't matter at the end of the day. Concentrate on taking care of yourself. Know your fans are waiting for your return and wishing you well. Farah grow up, life is to precious to act as you do. Kirsten, I am sure will have a very happy life without you in it so would JP.

kirsten i have always been a fan of yours from days to gh. i love the character u play on gh but i agree not the same with out you. my thoughts and prayers are with you. hoping u pull through this and everthing turns out ok. hang in there take care of yourself and come back to gh when ur ready

Kirsten, I hope you get better soon. My daughter has endo, and there are some days where its hard for her to function, but help is on its way. Take care of yourself, and I hope you recover quickly. We miss you as Maxie on GH. No one is as good as you!

Kristen be strong and wre all hoping for a speedy recovery general hospital is not the same without you ...know that people like myself are praying for you ...keep your chin up kristen we know your tough...lots of love from your fan ...

sorry to hear about your illness.... I hope things get better for you and that the best treatment out there can help u resolve this.. I can relate to sickness since i am diabetic and there is no cure for me.... i try to eat better but sometimes it does not help.. i have good and bad days. Hang in there and hopefully u can resolve this and ur feud with farah.... don't give up on her.

Kirsten can only do the Maxie Jones character!!! I watched her on Days as well and she does well on her parts. I wish nothing but the best for you. Thoughts and prayers for your health. Life right now may seem tough but these life events only make us stronger in who we are to on our time on earth. I have recently started watching Dirty Soap and Farah may seem concerned right now but from watching prior episodes don't trust her because she doesn't care and the way she talks about you I am not sure she ever did. Keep the friends you have now for she is one past friend that I am surprised you even had a friendship with.

no you can't die from it. I do feel very bad for her. It must be serious if she's out as long as she's been. I'd say she either had to have a hysterectomy or they're trying to find a management plan to work for her. I've prayed for her.

I think they went way too far with this. Fact being that endometriosis is not a death sentence. There are women all over the world that suffer from this and still manage to work, have kids, carry on and move on with their lives. Kirsten needs support, but taking a leave of absence is a little ridiculous. I personally have this condition as well and it's far from being a fatal disease. With the right doctor, you have a normal life. The pain will always be there, but you can go on with your life.

To all the people who are condemning her for taking a leave of absence because "it's not that serious" endometriosis can be mild or severe. My case is mild and can be treated with a special form of birth control. Before I started taking the birth control, I would have to take a couple of days off work every month because the pain was so severe I couldn't stand up. I've been lucky so far that it can be treated so easily and I no longer have to miss work. Kirsten may have had to have a hysterectomy, either partial or full, which is a 6-8 week recovery, which would explain her longer absence. They may not be sharing that particular detail because frankly, it's none of our business. So how about the people who seem to think she's such a drama queen wish her a speedy recovery rather than opining on a person's private medical condition that you really know nothing about?

I have suffered for many many years from Endometriosis, and finally had a complete hysterectomy at age 45. I am surprised that people who have this are still condeming kirsten for taking a leave. Are you kidding me? Very painful and every person is different. Do not judge!! Kirsten, praying for you.

This is a real condition. You can not just take medication and be ok. I have suffered with this since my early teens and the pain is real. I was depressed for awhile because of the pain. If you don't know the condition don't just assume she is in rehab. No one deserves this condition. Unless a loved one or yourself has lived with this you have no idea how the treatment is just that...it can be treated but not cured. Also, the pain always comes back and for some of us it is constantly there.

For all those who think endometriois is "not a big deal," please know this disease comes in a variety of forms ranging from the mild to the severe. I lived with debilatating pain for months before I was diagnosed, had surgery to remove the tissue, was extremely fortunate to give birth to two lovely childen, and then had a hysterectomy. Please, I ask you again, do not judge. You cannot know how she is feeling or the reality of her situation.

Wow i love how anonomous people call her liar and say just meds. I have it, did all, meds hormones, pain pills, iron, until i finally had hysterectomy after dealing with it for years. It sucked workin through it. It was all month. Not one week. So totally believable. To act during it, playin happy or excited...in pain. No way. It would wear on you.

I know the Pain of Endometriosis i went threw it at the end i had to have surgery.The deprecation after the surgery was just as bad .thank the lord blessed me with 3 children before Endometriosis struck me some women are not that lucky .. Kirsten Storms i wish you all the best ..

Just wanted to let you rude People now that Endometriosis is a form of Cancer..... look it up ...... http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/EndometrialCancer/DetailedGuide/endometrial-uterine-cancer-what-is-endometrial-cancer ......

Wow...it's always shocking when I have to read stupid and, quite frankly, ignorant comments. In 2012, that is a travesty. People...educate yourselves!! And, to the shameless people who have endometriosis and still make foolish comments...that's just pathetic. I had a laparoscopy 9 years ago and it was a battle then for me even though my endometriosis was stage 2. I could barely walk before my surgery. 6 years later, on my birthday, I collapsed and the doctors found a giant mass in my colon. They thought I was a goner; thankfully, it wasn't cancer. But, turns out the endometriosis was metastatic. Yes, people, it can spread like a cancer to other organs beyond the reproductive ones. I had to have a laparotomy and it was so painful. The doctors predicted a long recovery and while it was tough...I prayed and willed myself to not take a huge leave of absence. But, that came at a great physical cost. Good for Kirsten for taking time off. It's needed. I am now in remission, so to speak. By the grace of God, I still have all my vital and reproductive organs (well, they did have to cut into my colon and small intestine, then reattach). If it weren't for my faith in Christ...it probably would have been worse. I believe the way we think, dictates the course of our lives. Therefore, I am believing for total healing for Kirsten. And, I pray for the nasty detractors who have made such evil comments. You really need all the help God can give....seriously! Just thank goodness it isn't you and you've been blessed NOT to have to endure endometriosis (or you just have a mild form of it that doesn't require much down time)